Dr Rachel Hewett

Dr Rachel Hewett

School of Education
Associate Professor
Head of Department of Disability, Inclusion and Special Needs (DISN)

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 4394
Email
r.g.hewett@bham.ac.uk
Twitter
@RachelHewettUoB
View my research portal
Address
School of Education
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston, Birmingham
B15 2TT, United Kingdom

Rachel Hewett is an Associate Professor in School of Education. She is currently Head of Department of Disability Inclusion and Special Needs and co-director of Vision Impairment Centre for Teaching and Research (VICTAR).

She joined VICTAR as a Research Associate in 2010, before progressing to a Research Fellow in October 2012 and was appointed as a Birmingham Fellow in September 2017. Previously she worked in Clinical Trials, and managed a series of large phase-three trials at Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit at University of Birmingham.

Rachel’s primary research interests are in the post-16 transition experience of young people with special educational needs and disabilities. She was co-investigator and later principal investigator of the ‘Longitudinal Transitions Study’ which followed the post-16 transition experience of a group of young people with vision impairment over an eleven-year period. She is currently principal investigator of the Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment project.  Through her doctoral study she has focused particularly on the experiences of young people with vision impairment in making the transition into Higher Education.

Rachel has been PI and Co-I on research projects funded by various funding bodies, including Nuffield Foundation, Department for Levelling Up, RNIB, Thomas Pocklington Trust, NatSIP and Vision Foundation.

Qualifications

  • PGCHE, University of Birmingham 2021
  • PhD in Education, University of Birmingham 2020
  • MSc Applied Statistics, Sheffield Hallam, 2011
  • MA Social Research, University of Birmingham, 2004
  • BSc (Hons) Economics, University of Birmingham, 2003

Biography

Rachel Hewett is a Birmingham Fellow based at Vision Impairment Centre for Teaching and Research (VICTAR) within Department of Disability Inclusion and Special Needs. 

She joined VICTAR in February 2010, after moving over from Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit where she had reponsibility for coordinated clincial trials. Her research interests are in disability and inclusion (in particular vision impairment), encompassing inclusion in higher education, post school transitions and transitions into employment. 

Rachel acted as Co-I, and later PI, of the Longitudinal Transitions Study: a 11-year longitudinal study which tracked the post-school transition experiences of 80 young people with vision impairment. Her doctoral thesis investigated the transition experiences of young people with vision impairment into higher education. 

Teaching

Rachel has taught on the following modules:

  • Research Methods in Education (campus and distance)
  • Contemporary Issues in Education: learning communities in higher education
  • Contemporary Issues in Education: engaging with research
  • Philosophy of Social Science Research

Postgraduate supervision

Vision impairment
Inclusion in higher education
Post school transitions
Life course
Longitudinal studies

Publications

Recent publications

Book

McLinden, M, Douglas, G, Hewett, R, Cobb, R, Keil, S, Lynch, P, Roe, J & Stewart Thistlethwaite, J 2022, Promoting Equitable Access to Education for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment: A route-map for a balanced curriculum. Routledge. <https://www.routledge.com/Promoting-Equitable-Access-to-Education-for-Children-and-Young-People-with/Mclinden-Douglas-Hewett-Cobb-Keil-Lynch-Roe-Thistlethwaite/p/book/9780367432997>

Article

Hewett, R, Douglas, G, McLinden, M & James, L 2023, 'Development of a new curriculum framework for children and young people with vision impairment: a United Kingdom consultation using the Delphi approach', British Journal of Visual Impairment, pp. 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1177/02646196231157168

Hewett, R, Douglas, G & McLinden, M 2021, '“They were questioning whether I would even bother coming back”. Exploring evidence of inequality in “access”, “success” and “progression” in higher education for students with vision impairment', Educational Review.

McLinden, M, Ravenscroft, J, Douglas, G, Hewett, R, McCann, E & Roe, J 2020, 'Promoting a balanced early years curriculum for young children with vision impairment: developing and sustaining personal agency through a bioecological systems perspective', British Journal of Visual Impairment, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1177/0264619619901036

Chapter

McLinden, M, Douglas, G, Terlektsi, E & Hewett, R 2022, Promoting positive educational outcomes for children and young people with sensory impairments through a dual approach to access. in A Holliman & K Sheehy (eds), Overcoming adversity in education. 1st edn, Routledge, London, pp. 41-53. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003180029-5

Commissioned report

Hewett, R, Manitsa, I & Temple, S 2025, Access to Learning, Learning to Access: An investigation of the outcomes of children and young people with vision impairment – Summary Report. RNIB. <https://media.rnib.org.uk/documents/Access_to_learning-Learning_to_access.pdf>

Hewett, R, Manitsa, I & Temple, S 2025, Access to Learning-Learning to Access: an investigation of the outcomes of children and young people with vision impairment: Final technical report – September 2025.

Douglas, G, Hewett, R, James, L & McLinden, M 2025, Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI): Defining specialist skills development and best practice support to promote equity, inclusion and personal agency (2025 Revised Edition). RNIB. <https://media.rnib.org.uk/documents/CFVI_2025_English_APDF.pdf>

Hewett, R, Douglas, G, McLinden, M & James, L 2025, Evaluation and Implementation of the Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment: A technical report of findings .

Hewett, R, Douglas, G, James, L & McLinden, M 2025, Evaluation of the use of the Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI): 2025 Summary Report. RNIB. <https://media.rnib.org.uk/documents/CFVI_Evaluation_Report_English_APDF.pdf>

Hewett, R, Douglas, G & Ellis, L 2022, Eye Work With You Too. RNIB. <https://media.rnib.org.uk/documents/APDF-RE221018_NI_Communities_Funding_Report-v01.pdf>

Hewett, R, Douglas, G & Ellis, L 2022, Eye Work With You Too (summary report). RNIB. <https://media.rnib.org.uk/documents/APDF-RE221018_NI_Communities_Funding_Summary-v01.pdf>

Terlektsi, E, Wootten, A, Douglas, G, Ellis, L, Hewett, R, Hodges, E, McLinden, M, Ware, J & Williams, L 2019, A Rapid Evidence Assessment of the effectiveness of educational interventions to support children and young people with hearing impairment. Welsh Assembly Government. <https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/statistics-and-research/2019-09/effectiveness-educational-interventions-support-children-young-people-hearing-impairment_1.pdf>

Other contribution

Hewett, R 2026, Improving outcomes and supporting the social and educational inclusion of children and young people with vision impairment. University of Birmingham. <https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/projects/curriculum-framework-for-children-and-young-people-with-vision-impairment/evaluation-and-implementation>

Chattaway, T & Hewett, R 2020, Response to call for evidence from Higher Education Commission.

View all publications in research portal

Expertise

Rachel’s research to date has focused primarily on post-16 transitions and employment outcomes for young people with vision impairment.